Lawson top-10 times in Baku F1 practices
- Dave Worsley
- Sep 20
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 22
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson produced two top-10 finishes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
It was first time on the difficult circuit as a Formula 1 driver, having raced there in Formula Two three years ago.
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He recorded the ninth fastest time in the opening session with seventh, nearly two seconds faster in the second session.
"It's very different to what I remember here from Formula 2," said the 23-year-old Racing Bulls driver
"But I think they did a good job at cleaning the track. It's started quite grippy, we're doing qualifying times, nearly. Maybe even faster, which helps a lot.
"Monza was difficult for us, but not a true representation of pace. We just had a tough weekend, but had everything gone well, we should have been in the top 10.
"We're pushing for that, and the car's been very consistent recently. There's no reason why we shouldn't be [in the top 10], we just have to keep chasing it with everyone else."
Finishingtop was Lewis Hamilton who led a Ferrari one-two while McLaren title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled
Seven-times world champion Hamilton, yet to stand on the Formula 1 podium since he joined the Italian team in January, lapped the Baku street circuit in one minute 41.293 seconds in the second session.
Leclerc, on pole position in Baku for the past four seasons without once winning the race, was 0.074 slower.
McLaren had finished one-two in the red-flagged first session, with Norris ahead of championship leader Piastri while Hamilton clipped the barriers, suffered a puncture and damaged his car's front wing.
